Wellesley’s McCoy to be honored at Charles River Center gala

The Charles River Center, which serves over 950 children and adults with developmental disabilities, will honor Wellesley’s Tim McCoy at its annual Building a Dream benefit gala at 6 pm on Friday, May 5th at The Westin Waltham.

The event will include an awards program and dinner, along with live and silent auctions.

McCoy, who owns and operates a franchise that owns several McDonald’s restaurants in the Boston area, will be presented with the Maria McTernan Leadership Award. The story of Freia David, a Charles River Center participant who retired after working for 32 years at McCoy’s McDonald’s in Needham, gained national attention. McCoy makes it a priority to hire people with disabilities.

McCoy, who lives in Wellesley, serves on the boards of The Genesis Foundation for Children, the Brooks School, Merrimack College, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern New England.

The Charles River Center offers vocational training and job placement for adults, operates 28 group homes, provides day programs for those with significant needs, and holds vacation and after-school programs for children. Located in Needham and Natick, Charles River serves people from over thirty MetroWest towns.